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More Info on Book Ads

Did you know there are over 250 websites where an author can promote their book deals and giveaways? To me, that number is daunting. How do you create a strategy to advertise your books with so many options and so little data on actual performance results?

I recently read a guest post on Indies Unlimited by Jason B. Ladd of IndieListers, a new website that features a free database of book promotion results. You have to sign up to view the results (and to enter your own data to share, if you wish), but registration is free, so I joined the site.

The IndieListers database displays actual performance results uploaded by authors on their advertising purchases. Currently, there are over 300 entries posted by authors on their various ad campaigns. What kind of results are posted? You can find the following information (depending on the level of detail the author provides while entering the data):

The name of the advertising service(s) used,

The fees paid to run the ad,

The number of book downloads and the corresponding cost per download,

The book's genre and sale price, and

The book's title along with author comments.

IndieListers also provides links to the 250+ sites where you can promote your book. As I perused the database, I noticed (not surprisingly) that BookBub stands out as the leader in the number of book downloads, however, there are many other sites where authors experienced successful ad campaigns. If you're considering running an ad for your book and don't have a strategy on where to start, I suggest signing up for IndieListers and viewing the database information.

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Here's an update on my Goodreads ad for my epic fantasy ebook Crimson & Cream. Since mid-February, I've had $18.50 deducted from my $20 payment from a total of 28 clicks on my ad. The ad's performance results to date are listed below

Total views of my ad on Goodreads: 126,357

Total Amazon sales during add: 4

The graph below displays the Goodreads statistics for Crimson & Cream during the ad period (shown inside the red box) and prior to starting the ad. As you can see, the Goodreads ad did create an uptick in activity (despite a dry spell in April) when compared to the period prior to starting the ad.

So even though I've yet to break even on the ad, I have seen an increase in exposure (for both Crimson & Cream and Mirrors & Mist), and overall, I think it's been a worthwhile (though not yet profitable) experience.

Author Update: I'm working on the second draft of Warlock & Wyrm, polishing the final three chapters before I move on to reading and editing the third draft.